regarding the 'data security' thread recently

Stroller linux.luser at myrealbox.com
Tue Jun 10 18:26:19 CEST 2008


On 10 Jun 2008, at 14:08, Benedikt Schindler wrote:
> Ilja O. schrieb:
>> About data wipe:
>>
>> I was thinking -- doesn't eny SIM card have some kind of ID number?
>> And if they do, do we have software way to obtain it?
>>
>> Phone could wipe itself if another SIM card is inserted AND upon SMS
>> message receiving.
>
> ... by the way : to what phonenumber will you send a sms when the  
> thief
> has replaced the sim card?

LOL.

This was my first reaction, too, and was just about to post to the  
list and ask the same question when I realised the answer.

The new phonenumber doesn't matter, because it'll wipe the phone when  
the thief's friend sends them a text message.

Having said that, why wait for an incoming text?
Why not just have the phone wipe itself when the SIM card changes?
You just need to store the original SIM ID in flash memory and check  
against it at start-up. The software can add an additional function  
for "change SIM card" which will allow the user to do so safely ("add  
SIM card" is probably better - if it allows the phone to check  
against a whitelist of multiple SIM cards then users can swap between  
two tariffs easily, without having to worry about activating this  
function EVERY time they do so).

The erasing of personal data can be done silently without alerting  
the user (thief), and doesn't need to interfere with an additional  
feature of "phoning home" its details in the event of theft <http:// 
www.guardian.co.uk/business/feedarticle/7565813>.

Stroller.




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